What it costs
Switzerland is not in the EU, but it is a full Schengen member, so the visa costs follow the same structure as everywhere else in the zone. Its UK applications run through VFS Global, whose Swiss service fee of around £20 including VAT places the total near the cheaper end of the table. One caveat on sourcing: at our 24 June 2026 check, the official VFS fee page could only be reached via search, so we treat the £20 as approximate rather than verified-exact.
| Cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| Consulate fee (adult) | €90 (about £81) |
| VFS Global service fee | around £20 including VAT (approximate) |
| Travel insurance (minimum €30,000 cover) | from about £12 |
| DIY total per adult | about £113 |
The consulate fee carries no such uncertainty: €90 for adults, fixed EU-wide, identical for every Schengen destination including non-EU members like Switzerland. Children aged 6 to 11 pay €45 and under-6s pay nothing. No service can discount the €90, and it is not refunded if the application is refused. Insurance rounds out the mandatory costs: a minimum of €30,000 in medical cover for the whole trip, available from about £12 for a short stay.
What can add to the cost
The optional extras at the centre are where totals creep up: courier return of your passport rather than a second trip to collect it, prime time appointment slots outside standard hours, and an on-site photo service if your photos miss the biometric spec. Each one is a choice, not a charge you owe. Bring compliant photos and a complete, printed document file and the base total holds. Our free checklist generator tells you precisely what to bring for a Swiss application.
Keep the downside in view as well: on a refusal, the consulate and centre fees, around £101 together, are gone for good, along with any non-refundable bookings. That is the cost worth planning against.
Cheaper and pricier alternatives
Switzerland already sits low in the rankings, so there is little to gain by looking sideways. The Netherlands is marginally cheaper at about £111 per adult with its verified £18 VFS fee, a difference of about £2. Above it, Austria comes to about £122 and Portugal about £126, both carried higher by heftier centre fees. And the standard rule bounds any comparison: your application must go to your main destination, the country holding the most nights of your itinerary, not simply the cheapest counter.
Where to go from here
The mechanics of applying, forms, appointments and documents, are laid out in the Switzerland visa from the UK guide. See the full 28-country ranking at the UK Schengen cost index to place £113 in context, and run your own numbers with the cost calculator. If you would rather not touch any of it, our done-for-you service handles the entire application, official fees included, for an all-in £163.
Sources
Common questions
- 01
How much does a Switzerland Schengen visa cost from the UK?
About £113 per adult applying yourself: the fixed €90 consulate fee (about £81), VFS Global's service fee of around £20 including VAT, and travel insurance from about £12. Children aged 6 to 11 pay a €45 consulate fee, and children under 6 pay no consulate fee.
- 02
Does Switzerland charge the standard €90 Schengen fee even though it is not in the EU?
Yes. Switzerland is a full Schengen member despite sitting outside the EU, so the standard visa fee structure applies: €90 for adults, €45 for children aged 6 to 11, free under 6, and the same visa is valid across the whole Schengen area.
- 03
How sure are you about the VFS fee for Switzerland?
We treat it as approximate. The official VFS Switzerland UK page listing around £20 including VAT could only be reached via search rather than through normal site navigation at our 24 June 2026 check, so we quote it as around £20 rather than as an exact verified figure.
- 04
Can I pay less by applying through a different Schengen country?
Only if that country is genuinely your main destination; you must apply where you will spend the most nights. For reference, the Netherlands totals about £111 per adult and Austria about £122, so Switzerland's roughly £113 already sits near the cheap end.
Free tools that pair with this guide